The clinical relevance of excisional margins after large loop excision of the transformation zone for the persistence of cervical dysplasia.

OBJECTIVE: A new guideline on population-screening cervical cytology was introduced to improve diagnosis and management of (pre-)malignant cervical lesions. Subsequently, more colposcopies and more large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ) were performed. There is little information about the relevance of positive margins for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) after LLETZ. This study assesses the clinical relevance of margins on the presence of CIN. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 567 women who had undergone LLETZ due to cervical dysplasia between January 2017 and December 2019 in Martini Hospital Groningen were included. The primary outcome was the persistence of cervical dysplasia (Pap ≥2) in relation to excisional margins. A χ2 test was performed and hazard ratios with 95% confident intervals (CIs) were reported. RESULTS: After median follow-up of 14 months, 9% (N = 28) with affected margins and 4% (N = 9) with clear margins had persistent cervical dysplasia (P = 0.044). Positive human papillomavirus (HPV) status was an independent risk factor (hazard ratio [HR] 8.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.19-19.22). Women with affected margins and of older age were less prone to clear HPV (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Women treated with LLETZ for cervical dysplasia show favorable long-term outcomes, with low residual rate. High-risk HPV combined with excisional margin status and age appears to be an adequate risk stratification and individualized management might be based on these factors.

Recurrence and survival after laparoscopy versus laparotomy without lymphadenectomy in early-stage endometrial cancer: Long-term outcomes of a randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic hysterectomy is accepted worldwide as the standard treatment option for early-stage endometrial cancer. However, there are limited data on long-term survival, particularly when no lymphadenectomy is performed. We compared the survival outcomes of total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) and total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), both without lymphadenectomy, for early-stage endometrial cancer up to 5 years postoperatively. METHODS: Follow-up of a multi-centre, randomised controlled trial comparing TLH and TAH, without routine lymphadenectomy, for women with stage I endometrial cancer. Enrolment was between 2007 and 2009 by 2:1 randomisation to TLH or TAH. Outcomes were disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and primary site of recurrence. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were adjusted for age, stage, grade, and radiotherapy with adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) reported. To test for significance, non-inferiority margins were defined. RESULTS: In total, 279 women underwent a surgical procedure, of whom 263 (94%) had follow-up data. For the TLH (n = 175) and TAH (n = 88) groups, DFS (90.3% vs 84.1%; aHR[recurrence], 0.69; 95%CI, 0.31-1.52), OS (89.2% vs 82.8%; aHR[death], 0.60; 95%CI, 0.30-1.19), and DSS (95.0% vs 89.8%; aHR[death], 0.62; 95%CI, 0.23-1.70) were reported at 5 years. At a 10% significance level, and with a non-inferiority margin of 0.20, the null hypothesis of inferiority was rejected for all three outcomes. There were no port-site or wound metastases, and local recurrence rates were comparable. CONCLUSION: Disease recurrence and 5-year survival rates were comparable between the TLH and TAH groups and comparable to studies with lymphadenectomy, supporting the widespread use of TLH without lymphadenectomy as the primary treatment for early-stage, low-grade endometrial cancer.